Speeches

Mr President, I will not talk about the crisis, factory closures and competition from China. I prefer to talk about the mission, and the mission is to remain competitive. That is why I talk about the means, about the importance of creating a sustainable, innovative and inclusive future. In my humble view, we must look beyond reactive measures and address the root causes of the problem - the structural imbalance. The production costs of our competitors are that they are. To compete, then, we must invest in advanced technologies and manufacturing processes that lower costs without compromising social protection. Access to markets remains crucial, so we must be careful not to fall into the trap of protectionism. Instead we should promote fair and just trade by moving out of this House and looking to work towards international standards and global standards. We do not have the luxury of choice. We must adapt if we want to survive, and adapt by being flexible, being not just a regulator, but also a supporter. If we do this, I believe that we will not only save existing jobs but generate more work for future generations.

Mr President, the Energy Union has brought progress, but we cannot ignore the realities of small states such as Gozo and Malta. Insularity brings unique challenges in energy. For a small country like Malta at the end of Europe with limited access to connectivity and much lower consumption than other countries, the cost of generating each unit of energy is much higher. As Draghi said, affordable energy is crucial. If we do not want to leave even one family in a choice between poverty or cold, we cannot tolerate a one size fits all policy. To truly achieve a just transition, the European Union must respect the divergences of all its regions. Therefore, while we must continue to work for the development of clean energy, we should not restrict measures such as subsidies on electricity consumption which are essential for countries like Malta. Let us recognise that fairness also means flexibility, and a truly inclusive Energy Union must embrace these divergences and not punish them.